According to one recent report, people around the NBA think the Washington Wizards would be making a good move if they opted to trade star guard Bradley Beal in exchange for the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2027 and 2029 first-round picks and former MVP Russell Westbrook.
NBA insider Zach Lowe broke down the recent rumblings around the league and mentioned the conversations he’s been having regarding the Lakers and Beal.
Apparently, there are some who think the Wizards should do whatever they can to get off of Beal’s gargantuan contract.
“I asked through the lens of like, ‘Is Russ and the two unprotected picks, is that fair value for Bradley Beal?'” he said when talking about his discussions with executives around the league. “And if you asked 25 people around the league, you would get everything from…you’d get some people saying, ‘Oh my god no, Bradley Beal is a top 25 player, multiple time all-NBA player. That’s not even close to requisite value for Bradley Beal.’ And then you’d get another group of people who’d be like, ‘Honestly, anything the Wizards can get to get off of that contract, they should probably do it.'”
It doesn’t seem as though Lowe has been hearing that there is much excitement about the Lakers’ potential offer for Beal. Rather, it looks like executives are of the mind that Beal’s contract has the potential to become quite toxic in the coming years.
The Lakers front office has shown a willingness to take on toxic contracts in recent years. After all, it did just that when it traded for Westbrook in 2021.
When it comes to Beal’s contract, it is something to behold. He’s currently on a five-year, $251 million contract. His annual earnings could get as high as $57.1 million in the 2026-27 campaign.
Though the money is certainly jaw-dropping, it’s not as though Beal isn’t an incredible player. Moreover, he’s still just 29 years old and averaging 22.9 points, 5.4 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game this season.
With the Wizards quickly sagging in the Eastern Conference standings, this season could finally be the one in which Beal decides to move on.
While the Lakers front office, which has certainly made its fair share of mistakes in recent years, may be focused on trying to add a star like Beal, there are many who believe the team would be better served by using its future picks to add multiple solid role players as opposed to one star.
As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see which route, if any, Rob Pelinka and company choose to go down.
